The End of a Normal Life
by Lobo Kendo
Summary: A story about the Posse's reactions and emotional handling after the events of the Sorceress War.
1. Chapter One: The Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** I do not own nor do I claim too own any and all characters portrayed in this story. All characters, locations, and miscellaneous are trademarks of Squaresoft Inc.  
  
**Chapter One **

_The Aftermath_**  
**  
Squall Leonhart had just come back from a small party that he and the other members of his team that helped defeat Ultimecia held. Of course after the whole ordeal he just wanted to go be alone in his room but Rinoa insisted otherwise, blatantly called him her boyfriend right in front of everyone and forced him to remain there. Just because they kissed once didn't mean anything! So now he was no doubt very tired and very cranky but the recently reinstated Headmaster Cid had called him to his office so Squall, being a SeeD, was obligated to go.  
  
Squall walked into Cid's office praying that he and his wife Edea were not throwing him some party as well but all he saw was Cid drinking coffee and reading some document that Squall hoped did not concern him.  
  
"Yes, Headmaster?" he said lazily and with a very clear message of his low tolerance at the moment.  
  
Cid looked up from the papers in his hand and smiled. "Ah! Squall my boy! As timely as ever. Please, take a seat."  
  
"I prefer to stand." Squall deadpanned.  
  
Cid smiled and set his coffee down. "Of course. Well, I basically wanted to just thank you for your amazing performance as of late, I'm sure the task of saving the world was a very taxing ordeal!" he said, like he actually thought Squall would go into a story and make a scene, but all he did was nod his head and shift his weight to his right leg.  
  
"Umm...Yes, well anyway, I must also thank you for taking on the role of Headmaster during my absence but it seems like you have more than kept things running smoothly."  
  
Squall scratched his head, looking like he expected something to come out of this.  
  
"Umm...Seifer is alive! We found him a few feet from where you entered that compressed time rift. He was thrown out I suppose."  
  
"Yay."  
  
Cid was now looking like he was running low on things to keep breathing life into this rather one-sided conversation. "The Garden will be planted back into the ground soo—"  
  
"Are classes back on schedule yet?" Squall asked. Cid seemed rather relieved he had interrupted him.  
  
"Yes! But we are somewhat shorthanded seeing that two of the instructors quit prior to the invasion of Balamb. I don't suppose you—"  
  
"I'm not going to teach a class."  
  
"Yes, of course not. I couldn't expect that of you! You've done such a great service to this Garden that we are in fact giving you and your friends time off for the rest of the month with pay! You all deserve it."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Squall," Cid said, quickly changing the subject. "I wish to ask you something somewhat personal yet important."  
  
Squall sighed and leaned on the back of the chair facing Cid's desk. "What is it?"  
  
"Well, Seifer is injured but doctor Kadowaki is sure he will make a full recovery soon, and even though he has done a number of bad and rather unforgivable things, we...I, would like to know your opinion of letting him back into Garden. Eventually he will retake the exam and maybe become a SeeD."  
  
Squall didn't reply immediately, just chewed on the prospect of having to deal with Seifer again. Yeah he had been under someone else's control but he wanted to be a knight on his own accord and he was no doubt still as obnoxious and arrogant as ever, and while Squall didn't like thinking about such trivial things, this did directly affect him and everyone else in Garden.  
  
"Truthfully, I dislike the guy. He has ruined many lives and only generally thinks of himself and that is not how a SeeD should act, but he is a good fighter and would make a fine mercenary. So my opinion to let him back in is segregated. Let him in if you like, I'll tolerate him, but you know the risks and I'm sick of fighting with him, I'm sick of listening to him and I'm sick of the way he treats other people. He doesn't realize that the things he does and says hurt and if he acts that way in front of me or just in my direct field of vision I'll straighten him out as violently as possible. Be sure to tell him this when he wakes up."  
  
Cid was somewhat caught off-guard by this and maybe even a little frightened at the serious tone Squall had just put on, then again when wasn't he serious? But he made a good point, one Cid wouldn't have thought of himself. Give Seifer a second chance if you want to deal with the prick but do it at your own risk.  
  
"Thank you Squall, you've made me look at this situation in a whole new light."  
  


"Anytime."  
  
Squall turned away and headed for the door but then Cid blurted out, not to anyone in particular, "I still need two new instructors...I wonder if Fujin and Raijin will do it."  
  
Squall stopped dead in his tracks and turned around with a slight show of concern on his face. "Fujin and Raijin? With all due respect, what are you trying to teach these cadets?"  
  
"Fujin and Raijin are very capable individuals. They know how to fight and could teach the new kids many things that ordinary instructors wouldn't even graze on."  
  
"But the two are clowns, Headmaster. They drink heavily each night and only really speak to each other. Besides, Raijin isn't very intelligent and Fujin only talks in monosyllabic sentences. It would take them the entire class period to get through a single lesson."  
  
"Oh, I don''t think so at all. Raijin may be a little slow and Fujin may have a small speech impediment—"  
  
"Small?" Squall interrupted inquisitively.  
  
"--but they can be worked around. Besides, sense the incident they really haven't been doing much of anything, they seem rather depressed. I don't suppose you know why?"  
  
"Yeah, Seifer is in the infirmary. Their 'posse' has been broken up."  
  
Cid took that into his mind and let it settle. "Dismissed."  
  
Squall nodded and walked out, heading back to his dorm and thinking about what he and the Headmaster had talked about.  
  
_'Being as nice and forgiving as he is, he'll no doubt let Seifer back in, maybe I should have just told him no, don't you dare let that fucking psychopath back in here, but that would've been rude. And how can he even consider making Fujin and Raijin instructors? Before you know it, cadets will be wearing eye patches and saying 'ya know' after every sentence. God, I need a drink.'_  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Raijin sat across from Fujin in the cafeteria, which as of late had turned into a bar for the Garden's staff and students. Sense she had told Seifer off in Lunatic Pandora she had become even more quiet and depressing to be around than usual.  
  
Raijin had always reached to her for support during tough situations because nothing ever fazed her but now he had tried to lend comfort where comfort fell miles short. She was also drinking heavily which several people had shown concern, not wanting such a great fighter as herself becoming a mindless drunk. She was drinking Crown Royal and then chasing it with Jack Daniels, which made Raijin want to vomit just watching but shook it off with his own Ron Rico 220.  
  
Raijin's somewhat strange friend had always been a trusting, reliable person that he had never seen in anyone else, not even Seifer. Fujin was the person he knew the best but was still a huge mystery. Even though they had met long ago back in the orphanage, Fujin was still very quiet and still only talked in moderation. She had her eye patch and her unique silver hair but more odd than her appearance was her strength.  
  
From first glance she seemed like such a small and frail person but she rarely took crap from anyone and would beat the other kids in the orphanage senseless if they offended her in someway. Raijin had no idea how she got that eye patch or why she talked like she did but he knew she did that by choice, as she reamed Seifer pretty hard in that very long and clear speech at Adel's fortress.  
  
Raijin shook off his dream state and looked at Fujin again, who seemed not to notice his recent facade from reality as she herself was also gazing off into nothingness. Then from a memory of the orphanage, he started to laugh and Fujin looked up at him from swirling her drink around and watching the paper umbrella tip back and forth.  
  
"LAUGHTER, EXPLAIN." She said in a toned-down version of her usual ear- piercing shouts.  
  
"Eh, I was just thinking about the orphanage, ya know? Back before the Garden." He started to chuckle uncontrollably and held his mouth to avoid letting many people in the bar with them know. "You...you used to chase the chu-chu's on the ship with a screwdriver, and then the Matron would yell at you for it, ya know?! Then when she finally took away all the sharp objects you started throwing nuts and bolts at them to drive them off the ship!"  
  
Raijin laughed inwardly too himself for a moment, caught his breath and continued. "Ah, man...those were the good ol' days, ya know?"  
  
Fujin raised her uncovered eyebrow and grinned at his sudden flashback. Yeah, she remembered, but she never did that to make people laugh; those damn chu-chu's were everywhere and someone had to kill them!  
  
"STUPID CHU-CHU'S."  
  
Raijin buckled under and laughed his head off, banging on the table with his fist so hard his glass jumped. Yeah, Fujin may seem depressed but damn she was a funny and beautiful girl. And even though those days of being stuck on that horrible, rotting White SeeD ship sucked ass, many good memories came from it.  
  
Those were the days when she and Raijin actually first met. He was the weird kid that was always big and tall for his age and showed a lot more brawn than brain. He made pants out of trash bags because the ones the Matron bought for him he complained weren't "baggy" enough, then went into a laugh riot from the obvious joke.  
  
"Fujin, I don't think I say this often enough but I thank you for your friendship. You're the only person who has ever really tolerated me, ya know?"  
  
"RAIJIN, WELCOME."  
  
"And I don't think we talk enough, ya know? Now that Seifer is sidelined I wanna know more about you! Like, where were ya born? Do you have any relatives?"  
  
"NEGATIVE." She answered stoically, sipping her drink.  
  
"What's your favorite color?"  
  
Fujin gently pulled a lock of her hair down in front of her eye patch. "SILVER."  
  
Raijin nodded and looked at her with growing curiosity. "How did you loose your eye?"  
  
Fujin finished her drink and leaned back into the comfortable leather of the chairs they were sitting in. "I'll tell you some other time, but it's almost midnight. I'm going to bed."  
  
"I understand, ya know? I'm sure it's a sensitive subject so I won't pester you about it. Tell me when your ready. Goodnight, Fujin."  
  
"Aren't you coming?" she asked getting up from her seat and throwing a ten gil piece onto the table.  
  
"Nah, I'm just gonna stay here for a little while longer. See ya in the morning."  
  
"All right, goodnight." She walked away and out the automatic door to her dorm, and Raijin just watched her leave, knowing very well he would see her again in the morning but thinking she would forever remain a mystery. He hoped she would open up soon because the silence between them as of late was getting all too loud and one of them was going to crack eventually. 

Christ, maybe Seifer did hold this team together.  
  
"Raijin," she said popping back into the cafeteria just from around the corner.  
  
He shot her a startled glance. "Yeah?"  
  
"Thank you also, you have been my best friend over the years and I hope we have many more funny stories to tell each other in the future." She left the door just as quickly as she finished her sentence.  
  
Raijin grinned, finished his glass and tipped extra, then got up and left the opposite way Fujin did.


	2. Chapter Two: History's Mysteries

**Chapter Two**

_Histories Mysteries_**  
**  
Fujin woke up bright and early the next morning in order to get in a good workout in the Garden's training center which she had been neglecting as of late.  
  
She had been through a lot recently: Squall and his team whooping Seifer's butt and then he screaming at Raijin and herself to help then she completely losing it and telling Seifer to take his posse and shove it.  
  
She got dressed in her casual blue dress shirt and matching pants and walking to the "danger zone" section of the Garden, not bothering to take a shower because even if you walked in sealed in a sanitation bubble ten minutes later you would smell like decomposing shit. She jumped down the set of stairs and looped around the aquarium in the center of the walkway.  
  
Just yesterday she remembered Raijin telling her that they recovered Seifer alive and he was in emergency medical care, which she admitted surprised her some, and surprising Fujin was not an easy thing to accomplish. But she didn't show much emotion after that and walked back to her dorm without another word, which surprised Raijin; he thought she would at least be happy that he didn't end up ventilated.  
  
As she came up on the training center she remembered that old rumor she heard passed around that she lost her eye battling a T-Rexaur one day when she was drunk and careless. God, what horseshit.  
  
_If a T-Rexaur clawed at my face I would have lost a lot more than just my eye,_ she mused.  
  
Of course she had to cross the path in her mind about how she did loose it. Well, it was technically still there, she just couldn't see out of it. Seifer, in fact, played a part in the incident, not that it was intentional but he was the primary cause.  
  
Back then Fujin never blamed him for it because it was an accident and she had a small crush on him at the time, but never told him so left the whole thing unaccounted for. Of course Seifer was swore to secrecy about the true nature of the injury but she knew it was pounding him inside not to tell anyone. He was never very good with secrets.  
  
But then again, many people could be held accountable for the accident and Fujin did. Her parents weren't abusing or raping her, they were neglectful. Her mother was a world-renowned martial artist and her father worked a full time job at Deling's broadcasting station, trying to get television working again. Of course she saw them daily but they were never home when she woke up and pretty much fended for herself.  
  
Fujin stopped just short of the automatic door to the training center and leaned up against the wall, tapping out the theme song to the Lone Ranger with her fingernails.  
  
_Then the core blew and everybody in the station, including my father and my mother who was visiting him got reduced to ash in a millisecond,_ she recalled.  
  
After she got the news her parents were both vaporized she was put in care of the Matron Edea's orphanage. She, of course, was never adopted. Most people who came by wanted a sweet, caring, future homemakers daughter, not a sadistic, psychopathic future mercenary.  
  
_I bet if those bastards knew that they wouldn't criticize me for talking the way I do._  
  
She sighed and walked into the training complex observing that no one was here yet, hell, she was probably the only person awake in Garden short of the kitchen staff. And the simple lack of one or two people made her feel the encompassing loneliness that had haunted her ever sense that accident.  
  
Her only known release was with the 6'7", muscular, tanned-skinned man known as Raijin, who was the first person too greet her when she went into the orphanage. She thanked him during the rare moments of vulnerability and/or sadness she felt but never went to far into it, and Raijin was at least smart enough to know not to plague her about it in fear of a sore shin.  
  
They're brother/sister relationship started pretty much from the beginning. Fujin felt much of her world come crashing down in one cataclysmic blast when her family died and focused all her time into her school work and isolating herself from everybody but Raijin, simply because he was so damn stupid it was funny and she couldn't help but laugh.  
  
But they felt a mutual benefaction to each other and made it work to the best of the situation. Edea had basic and advanced classes her "children" would take school and up until Fujin showed up, Raijin wasn't doing too well. But Fujin knew all the material and never to this day had gotten anything lower than a 98% on any test she had taken, in fact she and Raijin passed the SeeD test but declined the diploma because they were both to lazy to put that much effort into it. Hell the hours alone were enough to kill Jesus, and he was a carpenter!  
  
Fujin helped Raijin with his studies and he soon became a C-average student making Fujin feel confident enough too attempt to help other struggling students. But, of course, they made fun of her; joking about her hair, the way she dressed and even going as cruel as to mock her for loosing her parents, and you gotta believe that her eye injury didn't help things much later on.  
  
So this is where Raijin paid her back, by generally beating all the other kids dizzy and driving them away from her. Fujin thanked him but Raijin knew it would only continue and he couldn't be there to assist her every time so he helped bring out her confidence. She already knew how to fight with the skill of a second-degree blackbelt in tai maun chi but wasn't motivated and maybe even a little scared to use her talents in fear of pushing people even farther away.  
  
Raijin, though, didn't really care about her lack of motivation when it came to self defense and the next time some kid decided too spend his time picking on her, Raijin kept on urging her to stick up for herself. The constant prods from Raijin and the insults flinging left and right from this kid were enough to drive her into a bloodthirsty frenzy and break the kids arm when he tried to push her. She then proceeded to pummel him into the dirt and even Raijin, who was nearly triple her size, could pry her off.  
  
Fujin lightly chuckled to herself at that poor kids unfortunate "accident", but you gotta believe that he didn't bully anyone after that. He also probably had to eat from a tube for a while.  
  
Fujin walked from the training hall entry sector and walked right to the huge doors that led into the fighting area. This door was monstrous, standing at least 15 feet tall and composed completely out of a titanium-adamantium alloy; it was an excellent work out just having to open the damn thing. And you had to latch and unlatch it every time you left or went back in. Serious penalties followed anyone who left the door open and ready for the dangerous beasts behind it too break into the Garden itself.  
  
Fujin put all of her strength into turning the wheel lock and popping open the dogs. She pulled it open, quickly stepped inside the forest-like dwelling of the training zone and pulled it closed with all her might. Once closed the wheel lock would reset itself and Fujin drew her Sai off her back and proceeded into the feral environment.  
  
The room was oddly quiet today; usually you couldn't go very far in there without being attacked by something on the spot. But it still didn't take long, as she heard the distant quaking of an approaching T-Rexaur. The huge, prehistoric lizard bounded around the corner, looked down at Fujin and let loose a horrific growl that shook the bulletproof Lexan glass of the high up windows.  
  
"READY?" she sneered.  
  
Many scientists have said that monsters can understand English or whatever language spoken on their native continent but a beast this huge probably didn't have much brain as it did brawn. Even so, almost in response the beast blasted another growl and charged at her, its giant clawed feet shaking the complex with every step. It lunged down and buried its jaws in the dirt floor as Fujin jumped up out of its way and landed on its head. It knew she was up there and shook violently to remove her, and she got to play a very amusing hybrid sport of bull riding.  
  
Fujin's hand pulsed with a torrent of color and mixed into a funnel of wind she shot down into the top of the creature's head. The force of the mini-tornado slammed its head into the dirt and left it temporarily stunned. Fujin grinned and waited patiently until the T-Rexaur got back up and resumed its effort to throw her off. When it did, it no doubt remembered she was there and released an explosion of fire from its mouth, directly hitting the exit door and leaving a permanent scorch mark. Fujin dropped her shuriken down on its head and it magically erected itself upright.  
  
"ZAN!"  
  
Her circular blade spun to life and began to drill its way into the creature's skull with a wide-arching spray of blood. The T-Rexaur screamed with pain and tried even harder to throw her and the weapon off but the Sai only spun faster and soon completely tore threw its flesh, bone and brain and erupted from the bottom of its jaw, landing harmlessly on the ground below followed by a shower of gore and a dead dinosaur.  
  
Fujin jumped off its head and landed with an almost inaudible plop, then walked to retrieve her weapon, shook off as much blood and gray matter as she could and smiled at her accomplishment of killing the enormous lizard by drilling a six foot hole through its skull. Fujin retied her Sai to the rope on her back and tilted her head to the side to stare into the blank eyes of this huge beast. Instantly she grew red with anger and quickly untied her Sai and slashed at its dead right eye, splattering blood everywhere that hadn't gotten it yet and much on herself as well.  
  
Fujin turned around and walked back to the huge door, covered in murder and feeling very proud of herself. She unlocked the door and walked out latching it behind. As she turned around she nearly collided with Raijin and a somewhat peeved but living Seifer who was holding his gunblade, Hyperion, tightly within his gloved hand.  
  
Seifer grimaced at his past disciplinary committee associate. "Christ Fuj, you look like you just stepped out of a horror movie."  
  
"Yeah?" she said. "Well it's gonna get a lot worse in here unless you get the hell out of my way."  
  
She shoved her way past them both and walked out of the training facility brushing her silver and now blood red hair behind her ear.  
  
Seifer looked at Raijin who silently shrugged. "What the hell was that all about?"  
  
"I think ya know, ya know?"  
  
"I know we had that little scuffle back at Lunatic Pandora but you would think she would at least be happy that I wasn't killed."  
  
"We'll ask her about it later at breakfast, ya know? But until then, we should get in a little celebratory training, ya know?" Raijin said with one of his big goofy grins.  
  
"If you say so."  
  
They walked to the huge door and turned the wheel lock and pulled it open and were greeted with the large maimed corpse of a T-Rexaur.  
  
Raijin held a hand over his mouth and choked down an impending wash of hurl and lung-butter. "Uh...I think I'm gonna skip training today, ya know?"  
  
Seifer sighed and put the Hyperion back in its scabbard. "Yeah...I know."


	3. Chapter Three: The Happiness Conspiracy

**Chapter Three**

_The Happiness Conspiracy_  
  
Fujin took a shower and wandered down to the cafeteria/bar and ordered a few beers to drown away her sorrows.  
  
Rinoa, Zell and Squall were only a few feet away at another table having their drinks and Zell inhaling one of the hot-dogs that were oh-so rare. Squall was dazing off into space and absent-mindedly drinking a Shirley Temple (he wasn't a big drinker) when Rinoa caught sight of Fujin and whispered her concerns to her two companions.  
  
"It's so sad. Fujin is really a sweet girl and all these problems being dumped on her is unfair. I think we need to do something to cheer her up."  
  
Zell took a bite from his hot-dog and snickered, "Just kill a baby in front of her. That'll brighten her day by leaps and bounds." Rinoa's swift jab into Zell's side told him that wasn't funny.  
  
"C'mon Squall!" Rinoa whined. "Help me with Fujin."  
  
Squall looked up from his beverage and scowled. "Not a chance in hell."  
  
"Pleeeeease?"  
  


"No."  
  
"SQUALL!!!"  
  
He cringed slightly at the force behind her words and mumbled something under his breath.  
  
"What was that, Mr.?"  
  
He grumbled angrily under his breath. "Nothing."  
  
Rinoa got up and Squall followed in suit. Zell laughed and pointed at Squall but was smacked upside his head by Rinoa and dragged along for the ride.  
  
The three of them walked up to the side of Fujin's table, Rinoa smiled and leaned over while Squall watched and Zell nudged Squall with his elbow and whispered, "Man, Rinoa's got you so whipped!"  
  
"Hi Fujin!"  
  
Fujin looked up from her reflection in her drink and frowned even deeper at Rinoa's smiling face. "GREETINGS."  
  
"Somethin' wrong?" said Rinoa in a very childish voice.  
  
"NEGATIVE."  
  
"You wouldn't be here alone if nothing was wrong!" She pouted.  
  
"RAGE!"  
  
Rinoa squeaked and scurried back to the table with Squall and Zell close behind, shaking their heads. She sat back down and frowned.  
  
"Well that went really well," mocked Squall. Rinoa gave him a sharp glare that promptly shut him up.  
  
Zell looked at Fujin's blue-shirted back and smiled again, "I'm tellin' ya, just bring one of the lower-class students in here, sacrifice them all vampire-style and Fujin will be grinning from ear-to-ear!" This time Squall smacked Zell upside his head and he took another large bite of his hot-dog to stop himself from retaliating and getting his ass kicked.  
  
Ma Dincht had taught him that little pearl of anger-management back when he was just chibi Zell.  
  
Rinoa quickly looked up from her glass and became her normal perky self once again. "I know! We gotta get Raijin and Seifer in here! They must have argued about something and that's why she's so upset!"  
  
"Yeah, well you go do that and we'll stay back here and make sure she finishes her slider," said Squall turning away from watching one of the cafeteria workers smack something with a spatula. Last week it was a four-inch cockroach that hissed. He hoped this time whatever was crawling around in there didn't find its way into the meatloaf again.  
  
"You're both coming with me," she said rising from her seat.  
  
"Damnit woman! Why can't you leave me be?!" Yelled Squall, which was totally unlike him, of course Rinoa, only smiled wider and once again dragged them out the door by their forearms.  
  
Zell struggled to keep up with Rinoa's pace and groaned. "Smooth move, Squall."  
  
"Shut up, Zell."  
  
"Hey she's your girlfriend."  
  
"I said shut up, Zell!"  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Seifer and Raijin had left the Garden and were now at Balamb City at the local Chinese restaurant eating pork fried rice, egg rolls and chow mien at 10:34 a.m.  
  
"So," mused Raijin with a mouth full of oriental cooking. "What was it like at the end, ya know? Back in Ultimecia's castle in compressed time?"  
  
Seifer groaned and slugged back a shot glass of sake. "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Oh c'mon! It couldn't have been that bad, ya know?"  
  
"Of course not, being blown through crushing time, being turned inside-out twelve times and thrown back into the present felt fucking wonderful, not to mention just before that Fujin bit my head off."  
  
"You deserved that one though, ya know?"  
  
Seifer lightly chuckled, "Yeah, I know." Seifer pored some more sake into his glass and threw that back just as fast as before. "But I don't want to think about that right now. Tell me what happened after the battle."  
  
"You mean when Squall and the other guys beat Ultimecia?"  
  
"Yeah, do I have too write it down for you?"  
  
Raijin seemed completely oblivious to Seifer's rude comment (maybe because he said things like that to him so often he went deaf to insults) and rolled into peaceful reflection of the weeks past events. "Well, I wasn't there but when they got back here a huge all-night party was thrown. It was great, ya know? Selphie is the funniest drunk you'll ever see."  
  
Seifer laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Describe it."  
  
Raijin burst into hysterics and slapped his knee at the memories. "Oh man it was classic! She was stumbling all over the place and hitting on students left and right! Half way through she downed two whisky's, put a lampshade on her head and led the entire school to do the Macarena."  
  
Raijin whipped a tear from his eye while Seifer was busting up just as much. "I wish I had taken a camcorder, ya know?"  
  
Seifer pored himself some more sake and stared into the liquid, swirling it around like he was expecting his reflected image to change into something or someone else. "Did you and Fujin enjoy yourselves?"  
  
Raijin sighed and fumbled with his staff, which he had laying across his lap. "Fujin didn't do much, ya know? After we got back to Garden from Lunatic Pandora she had changed completely. She hasn't talked much sense then and really hasn't done anything but drink and sleep. Seifer, man, I love you like a brother but Fujin is the closest thing I have to family, ya know?! And what you did to her back at LP was cruel and unforgivable..." A moment of silence rolled by before Raijin finished. "And truthfully I don't know if she'll ever forgive ya for it."  
  
Seifer nodded slowly and drank down his glass again. "I know I screwed up big time. I don't know what the fuck was going through my head when I decided to become the Matron's knight but if I could take it back, Hyne's grace man, I would. I've lost so much and haven't gained shit."

  
"But you can't go back, Seifer, your just going to have to make the future better, ya know? I forgive you just because I know it wasn't your fault but your gonna have to apologize to Fujin with some serious soul, ya know?"  
  
Seifer groaned but nodded in agreement. _Damnit! I hate when people are so goddamn right! Fuck! Fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck!!!_  
  
As you may guess, Seifer wasn't the best at apologies, hell he hadn't even batted an eyelash when he nearly sliced Squall's eye right out of his skull. Hey...wait, that's strange. Seifer had a scar along his eye, Squall had gotten his from Hyperion and Fujin had lost vision in her eye too some serious accidents on Seifer's part...coincidence? I think not.  
  
"Then I'll apologize to her," he reasoned, "but Fujin wouldn't listen unless I truly meant it and the only time I'm ever serious about anything is when I'm on a mission! C'mon Raijin! Were going to Cid to reapply for mercenary work."  
  
Seifer threw a fifty-gil piece on the table and left without bothering to wait for the check. It seemed customary for members of the posse just too guess how much it cost and estimate how much you felt like paying. Raijin picked up his staff and followed Seifer out the door.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Rinoa along with Squall and Zell who were both quite fed up with being ordered around by now were searching every section of the Garden and even went as far as announcing Seifer and Raijin over the intercom but neither of them responded and Rinoa's quest for Fujin's happiness was soon getting on her nerves.  
  
"Where could they be! Where do they have to go?! This is important to Fujin and I, damnit! How can they leave at a time like this, damnit?!" Rinoa was pacing back-and-forth in the quad so fast it looked like she was going to wear a groove in the floor.  
  
"Rinoa, calm down, your caring about this way to much," Squall said generally concerned as he nodded a greeting to the Diamond Twin's as they walked by talking about a recent Triple Triad battle they had kicked ass in.  
  
"Is it so wrong to care about someone's tranquility?! DAMNIT!!!"  
  
"Stop shouting. I'm sure Seifer and Raijin will be back soon from where ever they went. You know they never go to far without Fujin and will come back for her."  
  
Zell was leaning on the guard rail a few feet away grinning and watching the Diamond Twin's backsides as they walked away, shaking hypnotically.  
  
"Zell! Do you have any idea where they could have gone too?" Asked Rinoa inquisitively.  
  
Zell didn't hear a word and watched the Diamond Twin's disappear from view, and frowned in disappointment.  
  
"ZELL!!!"  
  
"AH!! WHAT?! WHERE?!!" he shouted nearly jumping off his feet. The tattoo along his eye seemed to ripple in startled fear just like its owner did.  
  
"Do you know where Seifer and Raijin may have gone too?" she asked again growing impatient.  
  
Zell slouched and clasped his hand over his heart. "How the fuck should I know?! Are you trying to give me a fucking stroke?!!"  
  
Rinoa seemed hurt by his return outburst and crossed her arms over her breast and leaned against the information panel of the lobby.  
  
Squall groaned. He knew he was going to have to console her later about this one. "Zell, you didn't have to shout."  
  
"Well I'm sorry but I nearly jumped out of my skin!" Zell straightened himself and looked back to the corner where the two identical young ladies passed through. He didn't see the Diamond Twin's but Fujin was stomping around the turn looking very vexed.  
  
"Oh crap! I'm outta here!" Shouted Zell as he started to walk up to the elevator but was stopped by Squall grabbing his shirt collar.  
  
Fujin stopped next to Rinoa who looked a bit happier now, of course it was hard to ever keep her angry for any lengthy amount of time.  
  
"What the hell were you idiots screaming over the intercom?!" Fujin was seething with anger.  
  
Rinoa probably imagined Fujin happily floating down the steps wearing a bridal gown because she didn't seem put-off by her angry demeanor and smiled with all the naiveness a young girl like herself could muster. "Fujin! So glad you could join us! Wanna go play some miniature golf?"  
  
"NEGATIVE!!!"  
  
This time Rinoa was put back a bit and nodded to Squall like she expected him to say something to improve this drastically declining conversation. Not that it had ever been up, though.  
  
Squall desperately searched for words but it was no secret he was usually lacking in conversational tactics, especially to girls most of the time. Hell, the only reason Rinoa was so attracted to him is because she could see a rugged charm and cowboy-like chivalry buried deep beneath Squall's rock-hard exterior. Selphie and Quistis had both asked her repeatedly just what she saw in him and she rattled off a hundred of Squall's best qualities, but in the end she summed it up with, "He's sweet." This especially caught off Quistis who had been repeatedly blown off by him but felt safe around him and thought he was somewhat of a serious class clown. Selphie, on the other hand, had liked Squall the minute she ran into him that day in the Garden's second floor hallway.  
  
He was kind enough to give her a quick tour of the Garden but pretty much ignored her the rest of the time. But somewhere deep down inside her childish style and beautiful demeanor made Squall feel somewhat responsible for her. Almost like a father. The only other time on record he could remember the slightest hint of a smile was during her song on the train that day.  
  
_Man, Selphie has to be wandering around here somewhere, I wish she would loop around that corner like she always does and put Fujin at ease so I don't look like a total ass._  
  
But he was still standing there, Fujin was still looking angry and Selphie hadn't come around yet so he did the only thing he could think of at the time. "Train, train, take us away, take us far, far away..."  
  
Fujin instantly dropped her serious expression and gained a sad, motherly look. Rinoa was blushing and quickly thinking about getting Squall back to her room and ask just what the hell he had just sung and Zell had a vacant look on his face but instantly burst into explosive laughter.  
  
"Dude! You just sang Selphie's train song! Oh Christ, Irvine is gonna laugh himself dead!!!"  
  
"I couldn't think of anything else!"  
  
"CONFUSED," murmured Fujin and she started walking forward toward the exit just as Seifer and Raijin shot through the gates and greeted her with a quick "yo!" before bolting past everyone and too the elevator, no doubt to Cid's office.  
  
Fujin shook her head and followed after them while Rinoa and Zell grinned at Squall who threw up his hands and sat down in defeat. "Ah, the hell with it all!"


	4. Chapter Four: Anger Management

**Chapter Four**

_Anger Management_  
  
Cid was calmly sitting down to a nice relaxing cup of tea with his visiting wife, Edea, who was generally brushing up against her loving husband and telling stories about her old orphanage kids.  
  
"Cid dear, whatever happened to Meis? He was such a nice boy and was always such a joy to be around."  
  
"He graduated about a year ago, honey." Cid replied smiling.  
  
"Did you know him well?" She mused while also drinking her tea.  
  
"Not really but we played billiards quite often and I lost profusely!"  
  
They were both laughing then were abruptly halted as soon as Seifer and Raijin busted into his office arguing about who would win in a fight pitting Mr. T vs. Zeus.  
  
"Knock knock!" Seifer yelled sarcastically.  
  
Cid sighed and gave his wife an annoyed look before spinning around in his chair and confronting the two intruders who seemed quite amused about the whole ordeal.  
  
"Seifer, Raijin, to what do I owe this unannounced and apparently unavoidable visit?"  
  
"Well, I know I've been somewhat of a bastard lately Cid, but I want that put all in the past! I'm a changed man and I want to work for your prestigious organization once again! I'll take the preliminary exam, whatever final test afterward and work as a mercenary for Garden's worldwide!" Finished Seifer putting his right hand over his heart and pretending a flag and music were being played in the background.  
  
"Plus we wanna cheer up Fujin, ya know?" added Raijin who got a quick smack in the chest by Seifer. "What did I do wrong, ya know? That's what were really doing this for, ya know?"  
  
Seifer smacked his head and angrily began to draw the Hyperion as Raijin realized his mistake and began to hastily back up.  
  
"Seifer, please. Raijin is just concerned about his friend and I understand why you would want to reapply for SeeD work."  
  
Seifer blinked in disbelief. "You do?"  
  
"Of course! You think that the only way Fujin will become less depressed is to have her join you two in a mission in which you will attempt team work or whatever style the former disciplinary committee engages in to raise spirits of everyone in the group and in the end be a...how do you say, 'posse' once again."  
  
"...Damn Cid, you hit the nail on the head."  
  
"I know, and I will reinstate all three of you back into the Garden." Cid walked over to his desk and began shuffling through drawers and papers.  
  
Seifer and Raijin waited patiently until Raijin managed to catch the wandering eye of Matron Edea who smiled and held out her slender hand to the big man. "It's good to see you again, Raijin."  
  
Raijin smiled and shook her hand with all of his somewhat uncontrollable strength. "The pleasure is all mine, ya know? So, are you still running the orphanage, ya know?"  
  
Edea pulled her hand away and smiled but was silently swearing about how much that hurt. "N-No, I closed down before the whole war thing and took up a job as an ambassador."  
  
Raijin nodded understandingly and looked over at Seifer who was trying his best to not listen. "I can see why you became her knight, ya know? She's such a nice lady, ya know? Hey! If you ever need like, a bodyguard or anything I'll be glad to help out, ya know?"  
  
Edea smiled and nodded just as a resounding "AH-HA!" blared over from Cid and he came around the desk holding three sheets of paper. "You're both going to have to fill back out the applications."  
  
Seifer and Raijin both groaned and took the documents angrily.  
  
"Because all three of you have been here for longer than four years I see no reason why we can't just cut to the finals. Give Fujin's hers and return them to either Xu or myself as soon as possible."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks Cid, see ya." And with that Seifer turned around and walked away and Raijin followed shortly after he thanked Cid for the second chance and waved goodbye to Edea.  
  
Seifer burst open the door and began shouting as soon as he entered the hall but stopped immediately when he saw a very peeved-looking Fujin standing there with her arms crossed and her platinum hair flowing down and around her face like a thunder cloud, making her look even more menacing. Raijin soon joined them out in the hall and was about to ask Seifer how he should fill out the "last name" column until he saw Fujin, and even he wasn't dumb enough not to know what she was pissed about.  
  
"Uh...hey Fuj, how'r things?"  
  
"RAGE!!!"  
  
"That's all I wanted to know."  
  
"Why is everybody so damn concerned with my happiness all of a sudden?! I am happy! I'm fucking ecstatic! I don't need you, Raijin or Squall and his band of moron's following me around trying to make me smile!"  
  
Raijin slowly raised his hand like he was back in elementary school.  
  
"WHAT?!!"  
  
"This just may be my observation but maybe if you smiled they would leave you alone, ya know?"

  
Fujin scowled and began preparing for Raijin's worst imaginable fear.  
  
"RAGE!!!"  
  
She swiftly kicked Raijin in his shin and he buckled under his own superior weight, hitting the ground and pouting like an oversized baby. "Ow! Ow! OWWWW!!!"  
  
"Oh, stop your bitching." Seifer said sarcastically.  
  
"DOUBLE RAGE!!!"  
  
Seifer received the same violent treatment and hit the ground right along side Raijin, rubbing his shin trying to suppress the extreme agony of Fujin's steel-toed boot bashing into bone.  
  
"I just want too be left alone for awhile!" She looked down at Seifer and gritted her teeth. "And I should kick your ass even more for abandoning us you jerk-off knight wannabe!"  
  
"I SAID I WAS SORRY!!!" he screamed adjusting himself so the Hyperion wasn't jabbing him in his side.  
  
It looked as if Fujin was going to comment but made an about-face and proceeded into the elevator, going back to the lobby.  
  
"Fuj, wait! We need to talk about something! GODDAMN IT!!! This is all your fault, Raijin!!"  
  
"How is it my fault, ya know?! I was trying to be nice! If you hadn't gone off to be a knight with Edea we could have been heroes too and avoiding this whole thing, ya know?!"  
  
"YES I FREAKIN' KNOW!! AH! DAMNIT! MIGRAINE!!!"  
  
*~*  
  
The elevator chimed happily and Fujin stomped out angrily into the lobby only to be greeted by Rinoa, Selphie and Quistis who all smiled and held up a hastily made banner that read, "Get happy soon, Fuugin." Squall, Zell and Irvine were behind the girls and waved nervously as she came out.  
  
"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO SPELL MY NAME RIGHT!!" She screamed. "RAGE!!!" Fujin was getting so tired of yelling that she thought what was left of her voice would give out.  
  
Zell smacked his forehead and was gravely considering grabbing one of the passing lower classmen and beating the crap out of him.  
  
 "I told you it was spelt with only one U!"  
  
"And no 'G'!" screamed Fujin using all of her limited self control to resist unstrapping her Sai and decapitating the entire group.  
  
"Wanna hear the song I wrote?!" Asked Selphie with her childish-brand of valley girl innocence.  
  
Fujin frowned and sighed and was about to tell them off again and storm out but she couldn't yell at Selphie, hell no one could, mainly because she was so young and cute but also because she might go get hopped up on Pepsi and caffeine pills and go on a school nunchucking.  
  
But at the moment Fujin was in no mood to hear a song and could only think of one thing that might get her out of this. "I have to go fish. I'll listen to your song later." She walked the rest of the way down the steps and brushed past them and out of the Garden but not before Selphie managed to brighten her spirits a bit more.  
  
"That eye patch really lights up your face, Fuj! Don't ever change on us, K?"  
  
Fujin stopped just short of the exit booth to let them know she heard and continued walking thinking only about apologizing to Seifer and Raijin who were both probably checking themselves into the infirmary right now. And she wasn't sure if anyone noticed or cared, but she wasn't carrying a fishing pole.  
  
As soon as she exited, Seifer and Raijin limped out of the elevator and nearly tripped down the stairs. Seifer caught himself and regained his cool and calm psycho demeanor but Raijin stumbled, yelped in pain and was caught by Quistis who couldn't even hope to hold up Raijin's overwhelming bulk and had to be assisted by just about the entire group.  
  
Squall and Irvine stayed back and watched thinking about helping but felt they had it under control and would never want to take away other people's glory. Hey, Raijin is a big guy and holding up even a quarter of him is quite the accomplishment.  
  
"So," started Seifer making sure Raijin had first composed himself before continuing. "Any of you see Fujin come through here?"  
  
"Yeah, you just missed her," replied Zell.  
  
Raijin saw the crumpled banner on the floor and picked it up and straightened it out. "Fuugin?"  
  
"We tried to cheer her up but I think we only made things worse," said Rinoa with a heavy sigh.  
  
Seifer looked at the banner and quickly looked back up with a glare of anger in his eyes. "Were trying to make things better here! She's very sensitive and when someone can't even spell her name right she tends to get a little bit pissed off!"  
  
"And she didn't even wanna hear my song!" pouted Selphie who got a comforting pat on the back by Quistis.  
  
"Not to mention she raised her voice inside school grounds to well over sixty-three decibels, that's quite a bit over a normal indoor voice." Commented Quistis with an air of instructor intelligence.

  
"SO FUCKING WHAT!!!" Screamed Seifer, who no doubt just violated that rule as well. "She screams all the time! It's how she talks! Can't you thickheaded cockbusters get it through that she's not the most social person on earth! That she has problems totally blowing all of yours out of the water and she doesn't need anybody to remind her to change her sucky life! Cid calls her in constantly because he thinks she has a medical depressive problem! She can't express herself like she probably wants to because everyone thinks she shouldn't talk more than blurting out loud, single-word sentences! She can only use one eye for Christ's sake! Do you all have two working eyes?"  
  
Everybody including Squall and Raijin felt their left eyes and silently nodded.  
  
"Well she doesn't! And while she is probably forcing herself too appreciate what your trying to do for her your fucking bombing it yo—"  
  
"That's quite enough, Seifer!" shouted Quistis. "Your tone is completely unnecessary and your excessive swearing will not be tolerated especially when so many students are walking by!"

  
"Why the hell do you care?! You're not an instructor anymore! Your just another of Cid's lapdogs who would save the world or jump off a cliff if he commanded!" Seifer was beyond reason now and even Raijin backed off and just seemed too be waiting for him to stop and calm down.  
  
"You jealous that someone other than you is noticed now, Seifer?" Squall mocked with a slight grin, almost like he was suddenly enjoying rubbing this in his face. "Maybe if you hadn't gone and turned traitor to Balamb Garden someone would give a rat's ass about you too."  
  
Being as close as they were, the whole group could have sworn they saw his face burn red. "Shut your face, Leonhart! Just shut your stupid fucking face!"  
  
"Hey now, you guys are gonna say something your going to regret, ya know? C'mon, we can be friends!" encouraged Raijin hoping someone would come to their senses.  
  
"I'm never going to be friends with this damn nazi." Growled Squall through clenched teeth and an accusatory finger pointed straight at Seifer, who looked as if he was going to get so angry he would go nova. "Seifer is a disgrace to the SeeD's and doesn't deserve such gracious treatment by Cid! You're a baby, Seifer! A spoiled freakin' baby!"  
  
That was the end of his limit. Seifer exploded and tackled Squall. The group, especially Rinoa tried to break them up but they rolled down the walkway exchanging punches and the occasional tumbling spot swap. Squall got on top and began repeatedly slamming Seifer's head into the iron floor until he punched Squall in the eye he had scarred just a few week's earlier.  
  
"Both of you stop it!" Screamed Selphie who suicidally got in-between them right after Squall kicked Seifer into the guard rail on the opposite side. Seifer drew Hyperion and Squall the Lionheart and both blinded by rage, swung their mighty gunblades, narrowly missing slicing Selphie in two as she hit the ground and rolled out of the way.  
  
Rinoa and Quistis came to her aid and moved her to the rest of the group as another crowd began forming to watch Squall and Seifer exchange slashes and strikes of their weapons as sparks and gashes began to form when one of them occasionally got hit hard and jammed their gunblades into the ground or rail, but quickly pulled it out and began the flurry of sword strikes again.  
  
"Some one is gonna get killed!" shouted Zell.  
  
Irvine actually had Exeter drawn and looked like he was going to fire a warning shot into the air, or shoot whoever seemed to be losing.  
  
Rinoa and Quistis were comforting Selphie who was crying and nursing a shallow cut she had received when she rolled on the steel grate floor.  
  
Raijin figured that apparently no one else was going to try to stop two of the best fighters in Garden in fear of getting dismembered, not that he could blame them. So with his staff in hand and some quickly collected courage, he ran into the fray, despite the instant screams against such an action and slammed both of the gunblades down with a heavy straight crack and then a double bash into the noses of the combatant's. Squall and Seifer both fell back clutching their gushing red noses.  
  
Raijin waved over Dr. Kadowaki who came shortly after the fight began. Raijin sighed, unable to hear himself over the cacophony of screams and curse words being shouted and walked out of the exit gripping his staff, which had little splotches of blood on both ends. He walked into the bright mid-day sun and slid his staff back into the holster on his back. He shaded his eyes with his flattened palm and looked into the sky, watching a flock of birds fly by.  
  
"Maybe it would be better if I stayed away for a few hours until they cool down." And he promptly started toward the beach.


	5. Chapter Five: A Knight Indeed

**Chapter V **

_A Knight Indeed__  
_  
Fujin wandered around Balamb all day just looking into shop windows and watching people go about their business. Somewhere down her trip she began to wonder what she had lost during her life, not in the sense of a material object but rather about her past. She knew about her parents and how she was put in the orphanage but that explained little about the way her life was going no where fast.  
  
Did her future really lie with the Garden? Could she find what she was looking for by remaining with Raijin and Seifer? She was beginning to think not. Never once during the entire time she was friend's with the two did she question the judgment of the team because Seifer was a good leader and always directed them down the correct path. But when Seifer deserted them to be a knight with Edea, Fujin's loyalty began to falter but continued with him none-the-less. Raijin never once questioned Seifer's decision because he was sure the posse would never break up and she was positive he was still with Seifer right now doing whatever.  
  
Fujin walked to the harbor and watched the sun begin to set behind the horizon.  
  
_Thinking all this hasn't helped my decision but should I really go back to the Garden or just walk off into the sunset and never look back?_  
  
"Hey, miss?"  
  
Fujin turned around and saw a middle-aged man with an apron on and holding a broom, he probably worked for the store he was standing in front of. "Are you all right?"  
  
Fujin turned back to the water and shook her head slowly, "AFFIRMATIVE."  
  
He smiled and picked up his broom. "Just making sure you had somewhere to go home to tonight. It might rain soon, I suggest you not stay out long."  
  
Fujin managed to break a small smile, "APPRECIATIVE."  
  
The man chuckled and set his broom back on the inside of his shop. "Hey, that's a pretty cool way you talk. I bet you get a lot of crap about that too, huh?"  
  
Christ, it was like this guy knew her his entire life. "AFFIRMATIVE."  
  
"Well don't let them get to ya, originality is a quality you should have and that is about as original as it comes! And you know what, I bet only people who understand that are your true friends, anyone else who tells you to talk normal or can't understand you isn't worth your time."  
  
The man stretched his arms out and yawned, "Well, I gotta get back in. See you later, miss."  
  
Fujin nodded and watched him go back into his shop and put a wooden wedge under the door to keep it open. Apparently he was going to work overtime. Fujin instantly felt a connection to this stranger and walked into his shop, which simply had the title "Item Shop" over the door.  
  
The man grinned as she walked in and leaned on the counter, "Man, it seems so long sense we've talked last."  
  
Fujin grinned cautiously. "HUMOR, UNDERSTAND."  
  
"So, you looking for something specific here today?"  
  
"NEGATIVE. SEARCHING."  
  
"That seemed like a figurative tone. Your searching for something that can't be bought, am I correct?"  
  
Fujin nodded and caught sight of a flyer just out of sight behind the counter. She looked past the man and saw the ad for what seemed like a military sign-up sheet.  
  
The man looked in her direction and also caught sight of the leaflet. "I just put that up a few hours ago, it seems like a good job for capable fighters."  
  
Fujin walked behind the counter regardless of what rules went against customers behind the register and pulled the flyer off the wall and read it. The man seemed amused at what a total lack of following regulations this lady had and took a sip from a cup of coffee nearby.  
  
_Military Command is looking for strong and intelligent individuals to join up for a unique and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join and rebuild the ancient group of Mako-enhanced warriors known in textbooks as SOLDIER (Special Operation-Level Disciplined Intelligence Engineering Rangers).  
  
Provides intense martial arts training and extensive bodily examinations. Must be ready for possible dangerous missions and extreme physical demands. Apply at Deling's City Hall. Only 60 people will be needed. -Admiral Jonah Maison_  
  
Fujin saw the chance of a lifetime. Becoming a SeeD was big and gave huge credibility but she had read about SOLDIER and knew that only the best need apply, and goddamn it she was the best! This is where her future lay and there was nothing going to get in her way of destiny this time.  
  
"FOUND!"  
  
"Did'ja? Well, getting into SOLDIER is a big goal but I wish you the best miss."  
  
"THANKS!"  
  
Fujin hightailed it out of the man's store and made her way back to Balamb Garden. It was already starting to rain and would be pouring before she got back.  
  
The man behind the counter tightened his lip and sighed, thinking about her, her eyes or more precisely, her eye and the weapon strapped to her back. And he could think of nothing more than her safety.  
  
"I hope you'll find what your looking for, honey. Good luck."  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Squall was in the cafeteria/bar drinking a beer, surrounded by the rest of the team and Selphie, who was extremely PO'd about the recent accident with the two fighters gunblades but also because of a slight cut on her arm and because of all this she wasn't talking to Squall at the moment. He had apologized profusely which was completely unlike him but he felt because he nearly disemboweled her that she deserved it.  
  
Rinoa felt she had failed Fujin and herself because she was no doubt still unhappy and wandering around outside somewhere, torn and lonely. Not too mention she had shown quite a bit of concern for Raijin because he left right after nearly breaking both Squall's and Seifer's noses and was probably just as sad and regretful as they were, but then again Squall didn't say a thing about it and only occasionally rubbed the band aid covering his nose because it itched.  
  
"It's going to rain soon," commented Rinoa to no one in particular. "Fujin and Raijin are still outside somewhere. Do you think they'll be all right?" She was looking at Quistis because she had in fact called Dr. Kadowaki for assistance in case someone got hurt during the fight (like it took a psychic too see that someone would) and right now she was the intelligent one in the group.  
  
"I don't know, Rinoa, but I'm sure they will both have enough common sense too seek shelter or return to the Garden before it gets to nasty."  
  
"Well, one of them wouldn't have left if SOMEONE didn't start a swordfight in the middle of the entryway!" shouted Selphie who promptly turned back around after her outburst.  
  
"Selphie, how many times do I have to apologize before you accept it?" asked Squall feeling the texture on his Griever necklace.  
  
"Never ever! Your a meanie Squall Leonhart!"  
  
"Selphie, I think your taking his out of hand," commented Irvine who was polishing the Exeter's barrel.

  
She scoffed and folded her arms across her breast. "So your on his side now?!"  
  
"I'm not on anyone's side but Squall was just defending himself against Seifer! If he hadn't attacked not only he but quite possibly YOU would have gotten killed!" Irvine was raising his voice now, which was unlike someone as calm and collected as he. "Truthfully, I don't know what either of you were thinking! Squall you shouldn't have encouraged Seifer's attack and you, Selphie, shouldn't have ran into the middle of it trying to be a hero and stop it! Both of you are acting extremely immature for your ages!"  
  
"If I wanted a lecture I would have asked Cid, Irvine. I know what I did was wrong and I sure as hell don't need you or anybody else yelling at me for it," replied Squall, the Lionheart was shifting in its scabbard, like it had a mind of its own and was ready to cleave something or someone.  
  
"Now who's being irrational, eh, Leonhart?"  
  
"I should kick both your butts just because your both being jerks right now!" said Selphie standing up and getting right next to the swordsman and the gunslinger.  
  
"And just what were you thinking when you ran in there like that? Huh, Selphie? Were you trying to get killed because if not you couldn't have had stopped us anyway." Commented Squall again, with his usual emotionless tone and demeanor.  
  
"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!!!" screamed Zell rising from his chair so fast it tipped over backwards and hit the ground with a soft clank. Irvine, Squall and Selphie looked at him and he had a deep scowl on his face, his tattoo almost sank to his chin. "Damnit, what is wrong with you three?! Just two days ago we saved the whole f-ing world and now your ready to kill each other! No one is at fault here, not even Seifer!"  
  
"What are you talking about, Chicken-wuss?" said Seifer walking into the cafeteria/bar with a similar bandage on his nose. Zell was about ready to turn around and ram Seifer's nose even farther into his face but held himself back because he had just got finished slightly defending him.  
  
"Were trying to have an adult conversation here, Seifer, that means you're not aloud within listening distance."

  
"Real funny Dincht but I got a problem here," said Seifer and for a quick moment he glanced over at Squall who was looking rather uncomfortable with Seifer in the area. "And if you even breathe in my general direction Squall I'll mangle you."  
  
Squall looked up from his fixed position on the floor and curled his lip in a silent growl. "I swear to Hyne, Seifer, if my face didn't hurt so much I would splatter you all over these walls."  
  
"Enough, the both of you! What is it Seifer?" yelled Quistis, silently hoping that another fight wouldn't break out.  
  
He frowned and pointed at the window, which was streaked with rainwater. "Fujin and Raijin are out in that and I'm worried. I want help to go look for them."  
  
"No need, ya know?" replied Raijin walking into the room carrying his staff ready to fight off anybody who was a bit sore about his attack earlier on.  
  
"Raijin! Where's Fujin? Is she with you?" pleaded Seifer with growing concern.  
  
Raijin looked at Seifer and Squall and shook his head. "No, she didn't come in with me."  
  
Seifer closed his eyes and choked down the words he didn't want to hear. "Then apparently there IS need now isn't there?!!" He gritted his teeth and strained himself too not unleash his frustrations out on somebody and at the moment his gunblade was itching to gut Squall and his nose was screaming at his fists to deck Raijin.  
  
"Fuck it! I'll go look for her myself!" Seifer ran out of the room followed by Raijin and the rest of the team except Squall who watched them leave without another word to him.  
  
Squall sighed and looked back out the window. "I'm not doing this for you, Seifer." He followed after them to the lobby but two Garden Staff who were shaking their heads at the repeated pleas to let Seifer and the rest through, met him at the exit.  
  
"We cannot let you pass, Cid thinks this could be a very violent storm and for the sake of the students, no one is allowed to leave until it passes."  
  
"But Fujin is out there! You know, Fujin Kazeno?!! She's in danger you cloaked dickhead! Let me through!"  
  
"I do not appreciate being called names, hooligan!"  
  
Seifer took his hand to the hilt of Hyperion but was stopped from drawing it by Rinoa. Seifer would have normally smacked her the hell out of the way but restrained himself this time. "Listen, this is important." he pleaded with the staff member. For once in an eternity, it sounded as if Seifer was genuinely worried and maybe even a bit scared. "I need to get out there and find my friend! Isn't there anything you can do?"  
  
The staff member shook his hooded head. "I'm sorry but until the storm passes I cannot let anyone leave. If your friend has any sense she will seek shelter, I'm afraid that is the best relief I can provide."  
  
Seifer began to shake wildly and released a scream so horrible and so mixed with emotion that it would be heard throughout the entire Garden for years to come. He turned right around and hauled ass to Cid's office. Raijin shared his concern and ran after him but the others stayed behind trying to bargain with the man to let them through, only Squall didn't seem to care much, it's not like he was Fujin's friend, they were barely even acquaintances in the sense of the word, and deep down inside he couldn't care less if Fujin's body was found floating in a puddle in the morning.  
  
But Rinoa cared, and Quistis cared, and Zell and Irvine cared and even Selphie forgot about hating Squall to care. And at the moment Seifer and Raijin were getting torn up inside because she was out in a thunderstorm, quite possibly hurt and unable to continue because of exhaustion. Squall just stared forward, past the guards and out to the exit and instantly his sharp mind began scheming to find a way outside.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Fujin was trudging through the rain, stomping through mud puddles that began to hold onto her boots until she pulled really hard and was released with a loud sucking sound. She was completely miserable but hopeful about her future with SOLDIER and this encouraged her enough to continue on.  
  
She wasn't too far from Balamb Garden now but it was still about half-an-hour away and her hair was already plastered down on her face and her clothes were soaked. Her eye patch had begun to slide down her face about twenty minutes ago and now was no longer covering her colorless eye but was just hanging down on her left cheek, but she didn't care, at the moment no one was around to see her blind eye so there was no reason to correct it.  
  
But even in the pouring rain and pitch-black sky Fujin could hear a faint rumble and stopped to look around. She saw nothing but heard the sound getting closer and now it was quaking the ground. Fujin drew her Sai and set herself into defense mode, instinctively searching everywhere with her battle-hardened senses. The rain was getting worse she could feel it hitting her more often and a loud crash of thunder only told her this would go on for awhile.  
  
Fujin now started counting to herself, waiting for the follow-up. After ten seconds of silence except for the constant pounding of rain she heard the lightning and instantly turned south to hear and see the ground explode and faintly make out the towering form of a gigantic snake which past records documented as being called Zolom's.  
  
The snake hissed loudly and shot down at her. Fujin jumped out of the way and landed in a puddle as the snake burrowed underground again.  
  
Fujin got to her feet and drowned out the sound of the rain, listening only for its subterranean movement.  
  
Fujin went into instant meditation. Focusing only on her objective of the enemy. Everything else was inaudible. She heard what she wanted and snapped her head in that direction. "I know where you are. You can't hide from me. Come out and fight, serpent."  
  
Apparently the Zolom heard her too and erupted from the ground again, hissing and spitting a thick spray of brown acid at her. Fujin dove away again and dully saw the acid strike the ground where she was previously standing and burn another hole into the ground.  
  
Fujin kick-jumped back on her feet and skillfully spun the Sai in her hand with the speed of a buzz saw.  
  
"SAI!!"  
  
She ran forward to the creature and performed three rising slashes with her weapon. She could see the damage done and heard the beast's horrible scream as it shot down to bite her but missed and received another slash right under its chin. Fujin landed on the ground with her Sai in one hand, unmoving on one knee and watching the snake with her infallible single eye. The cuts she had made were all bleeding lightly with a brownish fluid that Fujin thought to be blood but wasn't completely sure.  
  
The snake screeched again and charged a bright green orb in its mouth that burst with a small shockwave and spiraled down at Fujin. She jumped backwards to dodge but the sphere hit the ground and grew into a bubble explosion, bombarding her with the lethal energy. She held out her Sai as mild protection against the attack but against such power it could not prevail, and the Sai shattered with a brilliant flash of red flame and sent her flying backwards onto her rear.  
  
Fujin quickly sat up to see the snake hissing in short intervals like it was laughing at her and her circular blade in several smoking pieces on the ground being struck with rain like it was its funeral.  
  
Fujin saw the condition of her weapon and began to cry, but with the rain hitting her face the two were indistinguishable.  
  
"Mother...that was her weapon. That was the only thing I had to remember her by." And in one fell swoop Fujin felt her life finish crumbling and her future with SOLDIER blowing up in her face. It wasn't because she didn't have a weapon anymore; it was because she was beaten.  
  
Even if she escaped alive now she wouldn't be able to fight again, she knew it, it had happened before. When she lost to Squall and his party she thought little of it because they were Seifer's enemies, not hers. This snake had nothing to do with them and she didn't think she had any self-confidence left to defend herself.  
  
The Zolom didn't seem care though and again reared back to strike.  
  
_I have to fight or it'll kill me...but then again so what? What do I have to live for? Who would care if I lived or died? Seifer? Raijin? Maybe, but they wouldn't mourn that long. God mom, I'm so scared._  
  
Whether or not her mother heard that is unknown but Fujin instantly didn't think it was her time to go and dove in front of the Zolom as it shot down to finish her in one mouthful. It struck the dirt and hissed in pain as it again hurt itself by diving into rock that neither of them knew was there. Fujin picked up the largest piece of her Sai she could find and ran at the beast, jumping up and hanging on its jaw before it fully recovered.  
  
The Zolom shrieked and tried to shake her off with a lot more vigor than the T-Rexaur had. She held on with one hand and jammed the fragment of her Sai into its carapace and dragged it forward, cutting through its bone and muscle with so much of her depleted strength she thought her arm would break. The Zolom was screaming in agony, charged and fired another fiery Beta into the air and because Fujin was cutting through its jaw the searing green light blasted through the deep slit she had made and severely burned her arm, causing her to loose her grip out of shear agony. Great, beautiful, life-assuring agony.  
  
She dropped at about fifteen feet and hit the ground with a bone-crunching slam. Before losing consciousness, Fujin opened her good eye and saw the Zolom writhe and loose extensive amounts of fluid before hitting the ground and with a final shallow growl, it promptly died.  
  
"Curaga..." The healing blue light from Fujin's magic supply healed her arm and whatever other various injuries she had but she passed out anyway because she could not force her lungs to breathe.  
  
Fujin did not see it but the single shard of her Sai that was left stuck firmly into the Zolom's jaw pulsed with light and power and began to drain the Zolom's energy into itself. The sharp blue "teardrop" blade of the shard grew and warped itself into a red metal flame of equal length.  
  
The rest of the weapon reformed itself and became a shuriken once again. Within the center of the weapon grew a cross that connected to both sides and an intricate pattern of light brown runes lined the inside of the weapon. The Sai had transformed when exposed to the dead snakes life energy and became a new weapon to replace Fujin's destroyed one.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Squall, Seifer and the rest of the team crowded into the cafeteria/bar and sat in silence. The storm had not gotten any better and Cid had regretfully declined Seifer's request to open Garden's doors to send out a search party for Fujin. Raijin was quite possibly the most worried of all, even though Seifer made it apparent that nothing would make him happier than to risk his life to find her.  
  
"...so now what?" asked Selphie quietly.  
  
"Nothing, there isn't a damn thing we can do until the storm passes," replied Seifer who was staring blankly at the table he was seated at.  
  
Rinoa had been searching for the words that would help cheer up the group for about an hour now but couldn't come up with much that would brighten the team's spirit's. "Guys, c'mon don't be so glum! I'm sure Fujin is fine. Your forgetting what kind of a person she is! She wouldn't be caught out in something like this, she's too smart."  
  
Seifer nodded ruefully. "I keep telling myself that but I just have one of those feelings! I know something is wrong. Damnit, I'm about ready to break a window and jump to the ground."  
  
"Keep in mind that's a thirty-three story drop." Squall commented than thought about a little more carefully. "On second thought, go for it Seifer."  
  
Seifer gave a slow shake of his head. "I'm not in the mood to listen to your bullshit, Leonhart."  
  
"That was about the only time Squall has ever told a joke so if I were you I'd relish it while you can." Zell commented and turned around in his chair to watch the silent rain wash across the window.  
  
"And what if she does come back? How would she get in?" Asked Quistis without really expecting an answer but that poked Seifer in a whole new way.  
  
_Shit, she's right! Even if Fuj comes back she wouldn't be able to get back in! Goddamn it why am I the only person who ever thinks of these things?!_  
  
"We gotta tell Cid to watch the door! Get a security team to monitor the area in case she wanders back!" Seifer was panicking again and everybody was getting somewhat tired of it. "You wouldn't think that her having only one eye would impair her vision in this weather, do you?"  
  
"Blame the T-Rexaur's for that one Seifer, not yourself," remarked Zell once again. He was trying to jump into this conversation as often as the opportunity presented itself.  
  
Raijin scratched his head and thought long and (very) hard about that and said, "Hold on, ya know? That doesn't make much sense that a T-Rexaur clawed her face and only took out her eye, does it?"  
  
Zell scoffed, but then stopped and put some thought into what he had said. "Holy crap, I think Raijin just had a point. Shit, someone mark this on the calendar," said Zell who got a stern glare from Raijin telling him that wasn't funny...ya know?  
  
"You know he's right, though." Quistis hypothesized. "If a T-Rexaur really slashed at her face there would be huge amounts of scar tissue and permanent facial distortion. She only lost her eye and no monster is that precise on accident."  
  
Everyone looked at Seifer for an answer because no one would know but him, not even Raijin simply because he had the memory span of about ten seconds.  
  
"I...can't tell you."  
  
"Why not?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"Because I just can't! Fujin made me promise I wouldn't."  
  
"Oh c'mon! I don't think she cares anymore! I wanna know!" said Selphie bouncing in her chair.  
  
Seifer couldn't bring himself to tell the story because it was mainly his fault she had that injury and everyone would think he was even more of a monster than they already did.  
  
"I can't! I won't break my promise! Fujin would never forgive me."  
  
Rinoa shrugged, "If you can't you can't. I wouldn't want to hear it if it would really anger her."  
  
"But what if none of us ever told her? How would she know that we know?" Asked Zell.  
  
"C'mon Seifer!" Prodded Selphie. "We want to hear this story!"  
  
"There...isn't much to tell. It happened really fast." Seifer was very nervous thinking if Fujin somehow figured out he told other people that would shatter their already fragile relationship.  
  
"I still want to hear it!" shouted Selphie.  
  
Seifer groaned and gave a single slow nod. "Fine. But I swear to Hyne if any of you tell her or even breathe a word of this to anybody! I mean if you even vaguely hint it I'll cripple you! Understand?"  
  
Everybody smiled (except for Squall who really didn't care) and nodded.  
  
"All right. The first year we were here Fujin and I snuck off after the new years party to the training center and sat down on the bench too talk. We both knew monsters were wandering around in there but we were ready to fight and were really only talking until it happened.  
  
"Fujin was telling me about her family and how they died and I intern told her about mine until two T-Rexaur's came around the corner, that was how the rumor probably got started, but neither of us were worried because we had killed several of them before this and weren't really scared, in fact I remember Fujin telling me how fun it was to slaughter them. So I took one and she took the other but it seemed almost like the monsters had planned a strategy before they came out because they seemed to be working together flawlessly."  
  
Quistis seemed to be the only one who cared about that information because she remembered all the stories and myths about monster intelligence. Guess this was just another one for the archives.  
  
"They wouldn't stay on the person who was attacking them and mine repeatedly went after her and her's kept coming after me. So stupid me, I try to take on both of them while Fujin is trying to keep up with the switches. I was about to take off one of the damn things heads when it took a hard right and moved out of the way of my gunblade and I got it stuck in a tree I hit instead.  
  
"That T-Rexaur swung around and lashed its tail at the tree and the one Fujin was fighting hit the tree with a fireball. I ducked to avoid the attacks and the tree exploded. And what I think happened is my gunblade split the attacks so they shredded the tree rather than just incinerating it. Shrapnel flew everywhere and two got Fujin in the eye, a few in her legs and if I remember correctly, one in her right arm."  
  
So now everybody knew and showed the appropriate level of disgust. It was primarily Seifer's fault whether he was aware of it at the time or not. Raijin, on the other hand, didn't seem angry with him, or even disappointed. He knew if Fujin were here now to listen to his remorse, she would probably show him her unwavering compassion. And Raijin could now see why she had always had such a crush on him. While Seifer may have been unable to prevent the incident, he cared enough to risk his life to pull her out of the fray. He really was the hero he intended to be. A Knight in Shining Armor.  
  
Squall scowled and rested his elbows on the table. What a rookie mistake. Of course, only Squall would persecute Seifer for this, everybody else seemed to grieve with him and the pain of an accident of this magnitude.  
  
Surprisingly, even Zell didn't seem to hate Seifer so much for that brief moment.  
  
"I got one or two in my leg as well but I didn't care because Fujin was screaming in agony and rolling around in a puddle of her own blood. It was the worst thing I've ever seen, I nearly puked at something generally so mild. I had seen much worse many times before, hell I had CAUSED much worse many times before and didn't care. So at the time I did what I could to drive the T-Rexaur's off because I couldn't fight them anymore and ran her to the infirmary. And that's pretty much it, boys and girls. Dr. Kadowaki said she would never see out of her left eye again and that the puncture wounds below her waste would leave permanent scars."  
  
He groaned with self-loathing. "Mine were nothing, just splinters that she pulled out with freakin' tweezers."  
  
Seifer looked like he was going to blow up again and go wipe out the entire monster population of the training center. After a moment of silence Seifer slammed his fist on the table, startling everybody.

  
"Damnit, it was my fault! I incited that battle and I caused Fujin's pain...Christ, what kind of a worthless friend am I?"  
  
Rinoa waved her hand around thoughtfully in the air, "To care enough about her that you would blame yourself, Seifer, your an excellent friend, and Fujin knows this or she wouldn't have hanged around you as long as she has. You're beating yourself up for something that is long forgotten. Heck, Fujin can probably see better than all of us with just one eye, and I know she'll make it back here all right."  
  
Squall nodded silently at dim appreciation for Rinoa's speeches and slowly stood up. "I know were all worried about Fujin but we should get some sleep, she'll be back here safe and sound in the morning and we have no reason to stay up and deprive ourselves of rest."  
  
Seifer actually seemed to agree with Squall but didn't say anything. "Yeah, I'm going to bed too. See ya'll in the morning."  
  
Squall and Seifer walked toward the sliding exit door and tripped and fell flat on their faces as soon as they crossed the doorframe. Selphie's nunchaku was stretched out on both sides of the wall just below sight level.  
  
Selphie jumped up and started laughing and pointing at their unfortunate accident. "That's what you guys get for trying to dilapidate me! I WIN! I WIN! HA-HA-HA HA-HAAA!!!"  
  
Squall and Seifer both got to their hands and looked at each other with a strange sense of unity for the moment. They both shouted, "Get her!" and made a beeline for Selphie who shrieked and started running around the table the rest of the group was at to avoid them.  
  
Raijin thought it was because she had secretly downed a bit too much booze and laughed so hard he fell backwards in his chair.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Fujin slowly opened her eye and got up feeling heavier and generally more miserable than she ever had before. She was wet to the bone and no doubt she being unconscious in the rain for Hyne knows how long had made her quite ill. Thrown in with all of this her possible hypothermia looked really bad.  
  
But she was never one to stay lying down waiting for some big strong Romeo too come by and take her back to his shanty. She slowly stood up, feeling like her entire body was made of lead, and stumbled over to the Zolom's corpse, which had almost been entirely washed out and now its internal organs were withering and a river of watered-down blood ran from in and around it.  
  
_I don't remember cutting it up this bad,_ she thought and walked closer, soon seeing the faint glimmer of something inside of the deceased beast.  
  
She reached down but quickly stood back up holding her belly in pain; she felt like someone had slammed her in the gut with a wrecking ball. Then she also became rather light-headed and sneezed; now knowing she was gaining a possible fever, or worse still, pneumonia.  
  
Despite the pain she was curious and quickly reached down into the body, grasped the object and pulled it out. The rain was beating down on it hard but Fujin was only entranced by this strange miracle. It was her Sai, but it had...evolved in a way. The detail and beauty of such a weapon of death told her that maybe her mother had heard her plea when she thought all was done.  
  
"Mom...did you do this?" she silently asked, looking up toward the sky with the buckets of rain hitting her battle-worn but still exquisite face. She sneezed again and ran her hand down the shallow hieroglyphics that lined the inside of the weapon. "Thank you, mom."  
  
"Now what to call it," she mused quietly. "I don't see a name tag on it so...man, this would be allot easier if someone was around here that could tell me. I'm not creative enough to name it, but it is something to kill and my mother named the first Sai because of her taste in weaponry even though it is not an actual pair of sai's...so, I'll name it what matches my personality, just like she had always told me."  
  
Fujin sneezed again and remembered where she was and stumbled back on course with Balamb Garden. She tied the new weapon too the rope that she held tight the Sai before it transformed.  
  
So now she again walked with new purpose, and she even felt that if another Zolom attacked her she could kill it no matter how sick she was becoming. All she could think of was telling this story to one of her future friends and/or partners in SOLDIER, the story of how she got the Vigilante.


	6. Chapter Six: The Winds of Change

**Chapter Six**

_The Winds of Change_  
  
Seifer lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't go to sleep with the knowledge that Fujin was still out there in the storm, possibly hurt or maybe even worse. And when he thought about telling the others the worst story he had the unfortunate memory of having, he could only think about how much of a dirt bag he was. And not just because of that one incident, there have been countless times when he has been an inconsiderate asshole to just about everybody in Garden.  
  
And while he wasn't thinking about stopping his non-stop barrage of insults to the lower and upper classmen, he was sure as hell gonna start treating Fujin and Raijin better. Raijin because if this happened to him he would feel just as bad and wouldn't want the big lummox dying thinking his friends didn't give a shit about him.  
  
Seifer turned his head to the door of his room and sighed, _I don't know why but I'm just expecting Fuj to come walking in here and letting me know she's all right._  
  
And with that he couldn't take the wait anymore. Seifer got up from his bed, got on a shirt and his long, white trench coat and left his quiet room and preceded into the silent hallways of the dormitory. He didn't bring the Hyperion this time and while that may not seem important, Seifer never went anywhere without it. Maybe his worry for his friend overcame his need for constant security.  
  
Seifer walked down the hall with his stocking feet making little more than a light slap on the floor when he walked. He looped around the corner and came into the lobby, stopping before the stairs and just leaning on the guardrail with his elbows, hoping that she would come in.  
  
_The guards are gone. If she comes back I'll be able to open the door...and I'm going to wait here all night if I have too.  
_  
But he didn't have to wait long. A light click and the whoosh of automatic doors sounded down the entry hall. The rain was very loud in the empty hall and the thunder that proceeded made Seifer think the whole school would wake up. But no one did (or so he thought) and the doors closed.  
  
Seifer ran down the steps to see a drenched Fujin slosh down the walkway, brushing a dripping lock of hair away from her lame eye.  
  
Seifer was happy beyond relief at that moment and with a big smile across his scarred face, he walked toward her. She had apparently not noticed him yet and was quite startled when she heard him approaching but calmed herself when she saw who it was.  
  
"Hey Seifer, what's going on?" she asked innocently but with obvious signs of a cold behind her soft voice.  
  
"Well, for one thing you scared me shitless. Where the fuck were you? And how did you get in? Wasn't it locked?" He asked with immense sternness.  
  
"I can only answer one question at a time," she replied stoically. "Primarily, I left because I had to figure out what I was going to do with my life."  
  
"Fuj, you don't graduate for another year, why worry now?"  
  
"I know I don't but you and Raijin graduate in three months and I don't want to be stuck here waiting. Seifer, I'm getting out early. I'm gonna join SOLDIER."  
  
He raised a curious eyebrow. "Soldier? Your gonna go into the military?"  
  
"No, they are reopening SOLDIER. Along time ago they were a very elite group of fighters that worked for some big company, I don't know what it is but I don't care. I think I have what it takes to go into it. If it doesn't work out I'll come back here, wait until I graduate and join SeeD." Fujin sneezed and felt the metal patch on her left shoulder slide down a bit and she readjusted it.  
  
Seifer strained to digest all of this up at once and ended up just shaking it off. "Look, we'll talk about this in the morning, but right now your sick and need to get a shower and go to sleep."  
  
"No, Seifer, I'm not going to be here in the morning. I'm going to fill out a resignation form tonight and be out of here by dawn."  
  
"Fujin this is too sudden! Can't you at least wait until Raijin and I do graduate? We want you to be there! You're our friend, a member of our posse! Decisions like this get discussed with the team!"  
  
"Seifer please, this is hard enough as it is. I don't want to go into verbal jousting with you." Again she sneezed and her shoulder guard fell down a once more, this time to her wrist. She slid it back up and firmly tightened its strap. "I know you're just worried about me and you don't have to be. I'm a big girl now, and I need to take command of my life and that doesn't involve staying here being apart of nothing."  
  
"You are not apart of nothing!" He growled, furious that she would ever think such a thing. "You have friends other than Raijin and myself whether or not you know it and they care about you. I know Ms. Trepp, Selphie and Rinoa bombed on the 'get happy' campaign but the fact that they tried ought to tell you something."  
  
"Yeah, like they can't spell my name right."  
  
"They know how it's spelt now, don't they?"  
  
Fujin smiled and gave Seifer a warming hug, and walked past him without another word back to her room to get cleaned up and pack the few articles of clothing she owned.  
  
Seifer watched her leave, shook his head sorrowfully and went back to his room too. Then he made a quick run to Raijin's room, woke him up, told him the situation and they both went back to the lobby too wait for her.  
  
*~*  
  
It was almost dawn, only one hour and thirty minutes until the sun reared its ugly head.  
  
Fujin walked nimbly down the steps of the lobby with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a fresh change of clothes including a new eye patch and her new Vigilante strapped on her back. She was walking rather slow and delicately because she was no doubt still feeling the ill effects of her battle.  
  
When she got to the base she saw Seifer and Raijin waiting for her and smiled somewhat annoyed and glad that they were sending her off.  
  
Raijin smiled, obviously trying and failing to restrain the tears stinging behind his eyes. "Good luck with this, Fuj. I wish ya all the best, ya know?"  
  
"Thank you, Raijin." She dropped her stuff and gave them both a group hug which lasted quite a while, but then again they were a family, and families don't cut short final goodbyes.  
  
"We'll make sure to tell you which SeeD station were sent too and demand you come and visit us." Commented Seifer who now had the Hyperion at his side; maybe he wanted her to remember him like she always had. Prone to violent outbursts of unwarranted rage.  
  
"Yes sir," she mocked cheerfully. As of late the whole disciplinary committee thing was kind of a big joke that everybody but Seifer made fun of.  
  
Fujin bent over at the waste, picked up her bulky duffel bag and walked toward the exit but was stopped with singing in a beautiful high soprano.  
  
"Fujin, Fujin get well soon, don't get as bleak as the moon, I wish you well and don't be sad, nothing is as bad as when your sad! Be happy!" Selphie was standing at the base of the elevator, grinning from ear-to-ear and even had a little tear in her eye. Then she reached down at her feet and revealed another hastily thrown together banner that read, "Don't forget us, Phujin!"  
  
Fujin frowned and shook her head, "You still can't spell my name right." And with that she turned around and left the Garden hoping that someone would tell them that she was all right and was going on to bigger and better things.  
  
Seifer and Raijin waved her off and went back too their rooms not just wondering if she would be all right, but how the hell Selphie knew she was leaving. She must just have really good hearing.  
  
~Fin~


End file.
